Shocking member of the New York Giants named biggest surprise player from OTAs and might land a bigger role than many expected

Giants safety Dane Belton is refusing to fade into the background 

S Dane Belton

"Earlier this offseason, it appeared as if he was about to become an afterthought following the signing of Jevon Holland. But think again. "He has been really good for us here early. Like he's had a really good spring," defensive coordinator Shane Bowen said. '[We're] finding ways to get him on the field, what he can do for us to help us.'

Belton was making plays seemingly every practice this spring. He had three interceptions in the five workouts open to the media. Even if he's not a starter it appears that the fourth-round pick in 2022 will have a role as the third safety. And why not? When he's on the field he has consistently created turnovers and made plays." -- Jordan Raanan

- ESPN's Biggest surprise player for all 32 teams from the offseason

Since being drafted in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft, Belton has appeared in 49 games and logged 13 starts. His path to a starting job got even tougher this offseason with the addition of Jevon Holland. So the belief around the league was that Belton was likely to see his snap count drastically decreased during the upcoming season.

It appears Belton had other plans as he had a strong offseason programming with the Giants and was named the team's biggest surprise from OTAs by ESPN's Jordan Raanan. His ball skills being one of the big reasons provided. That, of course, is not new; even without being a full time starter, Belton has recorded five interceptions during the first three years of his NFL career. It'll be interesting to see if he is able to continue this recent success during training camp. Because a strong showing there would almost guarantee that the Giants find select packages to get him on the field. Defenses around the league have different priorities and focuses, but every team wants to generate takeaways, and Belton is trying to prove the Giants are better in that regard when he is on the field.